MANKATO — Starting around 6 or 7 P.M. on Tuesday, tributes to the bar Blue Bricks started pouring in from Mankato area residents.
Word had spread on social media that the bar was shutting down for good, causing many residents to rush down, have one more drink and share their favorite memories of the establishment that has been a part of the Mankato community since 1999.
And, it seems, they jumped the gun a little bit.
Blue Bricks Owner Marty Lewis confirmed to the Free Press on Wednesday that the bar was closed, but noted that it was only “temporary.”
The rumor of the full-time closure seemed to spread from the popular Mankato Man account on Facebook, which posted, “Blue Bricks in downtown Mankato appears to be closing their doors after tonight. The longtime ‘barmuda triangle’ staple first opened its doors in 1999, taking over the Don’s Hobby location. Cheers to all the memories, as blurry as they may be,” at 6:45 P.M. on Tuesday before another post at 10:17 P.M. saying, “Goodnight Blue Bricks.”
Those posts prompted a rush of customers to the bar, and a flood of posts on social media about the bar’s closure.
The Free Press also reached out to Jason Beal, another owner listed on a liquor license application, for further comment and did not hear back in time for publication.